IF we want to wipe out all the taliban, fight the war WITHOUT tying our hands behind our backs (that means yes we end up killing civilans and wiping out villages), then I say definately send more troops and do it right.
If we are not going to go all out to secure the country and irradicate any taliban/al-q remnants than I say just pull the troops out and bring them home to station on our northern and southern borders.
EDIT: What good is going to come of it?
1) The millions of people of afghanistan could live under a democratic style government that they have a say in instead of a dictatorship style one such as under the taliban
2) People who may want to harm American and European citizens wouldn't have a base of operations like they did before.
I'm sure i could think up other things if you want.
Sorry Pilgrim, but I have two problems with your points here. First, why is it up to us to spend our blood and treasure setting up democracy (small-d) in a place where there has never been what could be called a functioning nation to begin with? And second, do you advocate sending in troops to every hole in the wall worldwide that could harbor folks who may want to harm Westerners?
Face it, we missed our chance to meet our objectives in Afghanistan. If there's a clear objective left to achieve worth our young men and women bleeding for and us sinking deeper into debt for I'll listen, but until and unless I hear one fast I'll support getting us out. Not in deeper.
I dont think it is up to us, I'm a libertarian if I had my way we wouldn't have been fighting wars in other countries in the first place. After 9/11 we would have closed our borders and ports with shoot to kill orders and severly restricted immigration policies along with agressively pursuing people with expired work visas and the likeAs I just said above, No I do not. See Ron Paul's view of foreign policy
I dont really see a clear objective I was just playing within the confines of the OP's ideas.
If it was up to me we wouldn't waste money and blood fighting wars such as Iraq 1 and 2, afghanistan, and many others. I have lost friends in NY on 9/11, Iraq after bush went there, and Afghanistan as recently as this month. I know the cost of irresponsible wars too well which is why I said if we are going to actually fight a war we better not do it all half assed and nicely like we tried with Iraq and AFG....you go all out or stay home. Don't play politics with my friends, family, and fellow citizens like Bush and now Obama are doing.
I'm not a Paul supporter myself, but I can agree with all the rest of this.
My sympathies for your losses, I also lost people I cared about on 9/11 and in Iraq. A lot of us did. But that isn't enough to justify throwing more lives away all these years later.